'Are you going to make me bark like a dog'? - What is hypnotherapy?

Lauren Wigmore
Oct 26, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Nov 20, 2024

That fearful gaze as they wonder 'are you going to make me bark like a dog'?

Hypnotherapy is a beautifully non-evasive form of therapy that allows us to by-pass the conscious mind, to work with the subconscious to change and rewire habits, behaviours and beliefs.

You can check out my FAQ’s page for all the therapeutic questions related to the practices I work in. This post is a simple overview of hypnosis in general.

Why do we need to change or rewire habits, behaviours or beliefs?

Quite simply, because they are getting in our way. Perhaps we’ve reached an impasse point, we know that we aren’t fulfilling our potential, we suffer with stifling anxiety or emotional weight that talking therapy hasn’t shifted, we overthink everything, or we’re just in our own way and want to get out of it. This is where hypnotherapy can help.

Hypnotherapy takes you into a deep state of relaxation by dropping into alpha or theta brainwave states. When in these deeper states of relaxation we are able to more easily access your subconscious. Which then allows us to rework the information driving the show.

In hypnotherapy you are always in control, the hypnotherapist cannot implant anything or make you do anything you don’t want to do. Instead what happens is that when we are in a session we pause the use of our logical, rational, analytical mind, and we work on a deeper level, assessing what can be thought of as the part of our mind that is running the programme, the subconscious.

Here’s a quick overview of the levels or states of consciousness

Your conscious mind /state: this is the state where we are fully alert and able to process thoughts, decisions, and actions intentionally. It involves rational thinking, logic, and voluntary behavior. It’s the state we are in the majority of the time.

Your subconscious mind / state: this state operates below the level of conscious awareness. It deals with our automatic processes - our habits, emotions (yes these can be automatic!), and memories. It influences our behavior and reactions based on our stored experiences and patterns, without active thought.

Your unconscious mind / state: this state is the deepest level of the mind. It is often where our ‘shadows’ sit. The unconscious mind holds repressed memories, desires, instincts and traumas, and it is generally inaccessible (there are ways that facilitate accessing this but that’s a longer post). It drives fundamental behaviors and can influence the subconscious, playing a role in deep-rooted motivations and fears.

What can you use hypnotherapy for exactly?

The easiest answer is anything. The main component is that you are open to working on a non-conscious level, which means you won’t always be aware of the changes and shifts straightaway or consciously, and that you do the work - you show up to the sessions, you listen to the recordings in-between sessions. You allow for shifts and openings to take place, and changes will change quickly.